linathi titshala

Pictured: nine-year-old Linathi Titshala / @AgainstAbuse79

Fears mount as search for Linathi Titshala enters sixth week

We hope that, by virtue of some miracle, Linathi finds her way home

linathi titshala

Pictured: nine-year-old Linathi Titshala / @AgainstAbuse79

As the search for nine-year-old Linathi Titshala continues, the police are fearing for the worst.

The last time Linathi Titshala was seen alive

The circumstances surrounding Titshala’s disappearance have baffled investigators. The last time she was seen alive was on Sunday, 16 December.

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She and her family reside in Thubelitsha, Delft, a diverse township nestled on the outskirts of Cape Town. She was last seen making her way from her grandmother’s place to that of her parents’, just two houses away.

Two days before she went missing, Titshala turned nine years old. The next day, her family celebrated her birthday at her grandmother’s place, where she spent the night.

On Sunday, 16 December, Titshala fell off the face of the earth on her way to her parents’ house to take a bath.

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Baffling Bitcoin ransom demands

Added to the mystery, as reported by IOL News, was the strange message Gangwatch — an anti-crime independent agency — received on Facebook earlier in January.

The agency contacted authorities claiming that they had received a ransom note via their Facebook inbox. The sender stated that they knew where Titshala was and demanded a ransom payment of five Bitcoin for information on her whereabouts.

“Do you want to find Linathi Titshala? If you want her safe return you are to pay 5 Bitcoin to the following Bitcoin address. 1Bk4TQzDXhxGgMwrXcaFhViSyoT9GLk2kN.

“You have 48 hours should you not transfer the bitcoin in 48 hours we will cease communication. This email is going to be deleted in 12 hours.” the message read.

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Authorities have traced the location the message was sent and the IP address led to an internet cafe — another dead end.

Authorities have worked with the community in searching for Titshala. Six weeks later, and there has not been a trace of her. Fears have mounted around whether or not she is still alive at this point.

However, investigators have vowed to keep on looking until they yield some result, any result.